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After being interested in old cars since childhood, I've now become an owner rather than just a spectator. My son has been obsessed with cars since he was a little boy, and now we have partnered together to buy a car for ourselves. Earlier this month we purchased a '64 Starfire that has had a frame-off restoration, but is in need of some work. The biggest issue is the transmission. When it was restored the transmission was supposed to have been new or rebuilt, but it was already operating improperly by the time the previous owner had, with little more than a 1000 miles on it. After reading a number of articles on the slim-jim transmission, my son & I are considering replacing it with a 700R4. That should make it a nice cruising machine, though the swap is an expensive & involved project. Besides the tranny, we also need to get the climate control, dash lights and turn signals working, and get the windshield sealed. With a long northern Minnesota winter ahead of us, we hope to have it ready for cruising and car shows by next summer.
Welcome to the site, beautiful car. Congrats on the new project. One suggestion is to start thread in the major projects section so others can follow along.
Welcome aboard and congratulations on your good taste in big Oldsmobiles. That is a great looking car, the issues you mention are pretty common. If you have not already done so make use of the search feature and you will find a number of good threads that deal with these issues and more. X2 on Oldcutlass's suggestion to start a project thread. Good luck!
Nice! That's an early build Lansing car unless someone added the tri-bar headlight bezels.
I wouldn't even consider a 700R4 for that car (for any car one didn't come in for that matter; I just do not like that transmission), though granted its 1-2 shift would be similar to what a Slim Jim does. KQQLCAT has a great thread on installing a Ross Racing THM conversion in a 61 Dynamic and the work would be very similar. If you want OD get a properly reinforced 200-4R or if not, a Turbo 350/400. You will be much happier in long run.
Then again Slim Jim issues can be as simple as a misadjusted TV rod. What exactly does it do? Rough/weird 1-2 shifts are usual for this trans and with a Starfire 2800 RPM at road speed is normal.
From what I've read, those tri-bar headlight bezels are only found on early '64 production Starfires. I don't know much about the car's actual history other than it was restored in Texas. The condition of the underside of the car would support that. VIN indicates it was built in Arlington, TX, and the serial number 009319 would seem to be fairly early production -- but I don't know if the bezels are original to the car.
I'd like to keep the car as original as possible, but I'd also like it to go cruising in it. I'd rather drive it to a car show than trailer it. Currently the tranny has the harsh 1-2 shift (which I understand it normal) at about 10 mph, but it will only shift into 3rd if it's cold and has no load on it. If it's accelerating or going up hill, it won't shift into 3rd, and if it does go into 3rd, once it warms up (about 5-10 minutes) it slips (it turns about 3400 rpm at 50-55 mph and has a whiny sound). Rather than put a lot of money into having the SlimJim tranny rebuilt only to have it fail again, I'd rather put the money into something that will last. Since we'd like to run this car on the highway, overdrive would be a desirable for improved economy.
Rocketraider, why do you recommend the 200R4 over the 700R4? From the online articles I can find on swapping out the SlimJim tranny, most seem to swap in a TH350/400 or a 700R4. Rather than cutting up the floor as is needed for some conversions, I'd rather use an adapter like that from Ross Racing so the tranny fits under the floor.
I joined CO because I'm new to the hobby and new to Oldsmobiles, so advice and recommendations from the members here is certainly welcome.
I'd like to keep the car as original as possible, but I'd also like it to go cruising in it. I'd rather drive it to a car show than trailer it. Currently the tranny has the harsh 1-2 shift (which I understand it normal) at about 10 mph, but it will only shift into 3rd if it's cold and has no load on it. If it's accelerating or going up hill, it won't shift into 3rd, and if it does go into 3rd, once it warms up (about 5-10 minutes) it slips (it turns about 3400 rpm at 50-55 mph and has a whiny sound). QUOTE]
I'll admit that doesn't sound too good but you may want to try some simple and cheap things before diving into a trans swap:
Change the fluid and filter (Available at Fatsco). When you drop the pan see what you find in the bottom. Carefully check the fluid level and make sure it is right on when HOT.
Rocketraider is right about the TV rod adjustment, also make sure all the carb linkage and pivots are lubricated and moving freely. Also make sure you have the right carb on the car and all the linkage is actually there! The 1-2 shift will always be weird since there's a whole gears worth of ratio missing but it shouldn't be harsh.
The 1-2 shift will always be weird since there's a whole gears worth of ratio missing but it shouldn't be harsh.
Sez the man who once told us he kinda liked Slim Jim shift weirdness!
That big 1-2 split on the 700 is one reason I'm not too fond of it. Gear ratio spacing on a 200 is much better and the same amount of work goes into that transplant as for a 350/400 transmission. You get OD and along with 3.42 Starfire gearing a 200 will still be a good performer.
Friend has a 200 behind a TriPower 389 in a 64 Grand Prix (also orig equipped with SJ but a lot easier swap in a Pontiac) and it has lived there happily for nearly 25 years. You'll have TV cable adjustment to deal with (yeah, after 20 years they came right back to throttle valve position to control shifting) but that's nothing insurmountable.
September 27th, 2016 | 10:29 PM
